We're just over halfway through the Summer and the "dog days" of August are looming just around the corner. As he leaves for the rest of his time away, Rev. Dr. David D. Young is excited to share this summer reading list of books from his own personal collection.

Got a flight or long road trip coming up this Summer? Maybe you're just looking for a good book to settle into a hammock with. Either way, we've got you covered with this mix of old favorite and newer books. Check it out and consider making a run to the library or your local bookstore! Several of these titles are also available from our Church Library! Call numbers included below. 

Oldies, but Goodies

When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Rabbi Harold Kushner
Why, God? It's a question most, if not all of us have asked at some point in our lives. When a loved one falls suddenly ill, when we see tragedies on the news, when we lose someone close to us. It's a question that Harold Kushner also asked when his three year old son was diagnosed with progeria, an extremely rare degenerative disease that meant the boy would not live beyond his teens. In this book, originally published in 1981 and since read by over 4 million readers, Kushner shares his own experiences and offers advice for finding hope and clarity in times of grief. 
Church Library Call Number: 296.3 KUS

Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl
This memoir from Victor Frankl, Holocaust Survivor and Psychiatrist, tells of the extraordinary tragedy and hardship that he endured while laboring in four different camps, including Auschwitz. Though Frankl survived, his brother, parents and pregnant wife all died during the Holocaust. Through his own experiences and in interviews with others, Frankl developed his theory of logotherapy, which teaches that meaning, not pleasure, is the single most driving force in human life. 
Church Library Call Number: 150.9 FRA

The Will of God, Leslie D. Weatherhead
Leslie Weatherhead was the Minister at City Temple in London from 1936 until his retirement in 1960, a span of time that included the tumultuous World War II era. During WWII, London was subjected to an unending series of bombings that destroyed much of the city, including City Temple. The Will of God includes five sermons that Rev. Weatherhead shared to guide his congregation through the doubt and questioning that comes with loss and sorrow.  
Church Library Call Number: 252 WEA

I and Thou, Martin Buber
Martin Buber was a prominent twentieth century philosopher whose works concerned everything from politics and art to Jewish mysticism, biblical studies and human encounters. I and Thou is one of Buber's best known works and examines the ways that our human relationships bring us closer to God. Buber discusses the different ways that we relate to things and each other and introduces the "I-Thou" and "I-It" dichotomy. 

The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen
Originally published in 1981, this book invites readers to follow a spiritual path based on the teachings of St. Anthony and ancient Egyptian Desert Fathers and Mothers. The path is comprised of three stepping stones-- Solitude, Silence and Prayer. Widely regarded as an essential Christian scholar, Nouwen crafts a way through the anger, stress and anxiety of the world and encourages readers to seek the love, peace and humility that bring us into a more authentic relationship with God and one another. 
 

More Contemporary Readings

The Heart of Christianity, Marcus Borg
In The Heart of Christianity, renowned Scholar Marcus Borg revisits the heart of Christianity and suggests that the basic tenets of a Christian life-- faith, being reborn, the kingdom of God, the gospel of love-- are relevant and important in today's world.  Written during a period of turmoil and change for the Church, this book provides a glimpse into the essence of Christianity and passionately argues that living a Christian life still makes sense. 
Church Library Call Number: 230 BOR

When God is Silent, Barbara Brown Taylor
This book is a collection of Lyman Beecher Lectures in Preaching delivered by Taylor at Yale Divinity School. In these collections, she examines God's silence from different perspectives-- considering how preachers speak to those who seek words from God as well as the "voice of God," and lack thereof, in scripture. Using passages from the Old Testament, Taylor poitns out how Jesus used and created silence in his teachings. 

Prayer, Richard Foster
Prayer is one of our most powerful practices as Christians. Sometimes we pray together, sometimes we pray privately. We may pray when seeking guidance, healing or blessing. We may pray as an act of thanks or out of joy or sorrow. Whenever we pray, argues Foster, coming to prayer is like coming home. In this book, Foster shares different forms of prayer and explains how prayer can change us, bring us closer to God, and encourage creative and passionate ministry to others. 
Church Library Call Number: 248.3 FOS

That We May All Be One (Covenant, Hospitality and the Expanding Identity of the United Church of Christ), Mary Susan Gost
Mary Susan Gost served the UCC as Associate Conference Minister, Executive Director of the UCC Coordinating Center for Women in Church and Society, and Conference Minister for Northern California Nevada. Her extensive work in the UCC caused Gost to consider-- who is the "we" in the UCC? This book examines the founding vision of the UCC and asks how we function as a Church in the world. Gost discusses the organizational structure of the UCC and how that relates to our identity and motto-- "that they may all be one."

Credo, William Sloane Coffin, Jr. 
A credo is, simply, a written statement of beliefs that guide our actions. We oftentimes use them as a part of Worship Services as creeds. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was a Presbyterian minister and longtime activist who dedicated his life to peace, sexual equality and other social justice issues. As such, Credo is a fitting title for his autobiography, a book that recounts his life and shares lessons on faith, politics and justice. 

In the two weeks I’ve been with you, a number of you have asked about my journey to ministry, particularly as a woman.  I told the story of my initial call when I was just 13 or 14 years old and the reactions of those around me during my sermon on June 24th.  There is more to the story, of course.

I went to Marietta College in Ohio, chosen because it was founded by Congregationalists and because it was far enough away that my parents wouldn’t expect me home frequently.  While there I started a campus ministry, a coffee house for college students in the basement of a local hotel, advised youth groups, and preached for a year at two churches in town – one right next to the Dean’s House in town, and the other six miles out of town on a dirt road.  I didn’t have a car so recruited other students to drive me. One service was at 9 and the other at 11, and the churches could not have been more different.  I wrote the sermon for the rural one at 9 and revised it on the ride back for the town church at 11.  All of which confirmed my strong sense of call. I still had not met an ordained woman though I had heard tell of one not far from Marietta.

When I arrived in the fall of 1967 at Andover Newton Theological School, I was excited about the courses I was taking and the people I was meeting. Many were supportive, some were not.  As I encountered obstacles along the way, people who didn’t think women in general or this one in particular belonged in ministry, my call stayed strong. If not for their opposition, whether subtle or overt, I probably never would have become the advocate for women I became. 

“As I encountered obstacles along the way, people who didn’t think women in general or this one in particular belonged in ministry, my call stayed strong”

— Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree on how opposition fueled her advocacy

To make a long story short, I gradually found some other women on campus who shared my concern for the church’s future if all women encountered such prejudice.  We organized.  We lobbied the administration. We spoke and wrote and began gradually to change the culture.  I never did succeed in reaching the seemingly ancient professor who refused to call on me when I put my hand up the second week of class to ask a question. Since he never called on me, I simply kept my hand up all semester.  The male students in the class began to “get it”. Nevertheless, the great majority of the faculty were over the top supportive. I’m deeply grateful.

Eventually, our national President, Dr. Robert V. Moss, invited me to be a delegate to some ecumenical events nationally and internationally. Then I was elected to the national Executive Council as the youngest one ever to that date. I had the privilege of going with him and 20 or so others, including all our top national executives (the only time that’s ever happened), on a mission experiential visit to Asia in 1976.  It changed my life and my perspective on the world.

“I continue to believe that we are all ministers of Jesus Christ when we choose consciously to make Christ’s way ours”

In my early ministry days, I had short term jobs and often had to piece together a living with as many as three or four positions at a time. I was ordained in 1972 but was unable to find a church that would consider me, never mind call me, until 1980.  I served that parish for 11 years, the longest anyone had since the 1800’s.  We grew from 45 in worship to 125 in the first 12-18 months, deepened faith, grew in stewardship and mission and had a great time together. While there I did my Doctor of Ministry degree and focused on the Sunday to Monday connection. From that dissertation grew my Alban Institute book, The Empowering Church. I continue to believe that we are all ministers of Jesus Christ when we choose consciously to make Christ’s way ours.  And I believe that we who are ordained are set in the midst of the rest of you to preach, teach and coach you on your spiritual and vocational journeys. 

In 1991 I was called to be your Conference Minister here in Southern California. Conferences are creatures of the churches – your delegates and your giving to Our Church’s Wider Mission shape the life of the Conference and the national setting of the Church. So my work was to lead the staff in nurturing the churches, clergy and Pilgrim Pines to be as strong and faithful as possible. I hadn’t been here long when the riots broke out in response to the Rodney King – LAPD trial. I was here through the Sierra Madre and Northridge earthquakes and numerous wildfires, an arson, and mudslides. We reorganized the Conference, focused on building relationships, bought a bank building in Altadena and converted it to an office space to share with the Disciples of Christ, and were active in a movement for the churches to offer alternatives to gang membership through the Hope in Youth Campaign. 

Then I was called to Connecticut to serve the Conference that had raised me up to ministry.  That is a much longer story as I was there 14 years.  It was a rich and full ministry among the 245 churches of the Conference and through Silver Lake Conference Center, the camp of my youthful call to ministry.  I retired in 2010 to spend time with my husband who was dying and to be his caregiver for several months at the end.  Since then, I’ve flunked retirement royally, and I’m glad.  I love people and love the United Church of Christ! I am pleased to be among you for this month, especially since Karl Johnson served on the search committee that called me to Southern California in 1991 and David Young was on the Conference Board of Directors in Connecticut!

Pictured: Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree, who will join us for a month this Summer in Rev. Dr. David D. Young's absence.

I am very pleased to introduce to you a very dear friend and colleague, The Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree who will be our guest minister for about a month this summer.  She will be here from the second half of June to the middle of July and will preach four successive Sundays.  She will meet with the Church Council and Trustees, be in the office a couple of hours Monday - Thursday, do a daily devotional with our children as part of Vacation Bible Camp and teach a three week Adult Education Class.  

Davida is a gifted and faithful minister and knows some of our members from the 1990’s when she served as the Conference Minister here in Southern California.  I am sure you will enjoy her time among us and hope you will give her a warm Neighborhood Church welcome.   You will be in good hands while I am away.   Plan to greet her on June 17th and then hear her preach the following four Sundays.  Her bio follows below.

Grateful for all the connections to come!

David D. Young

The Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree is a United Church of Christ minister who has served in a variety of settings across the Church. Her most recent position was as Interim Vice President for Advancement at Andover Newton Theological School. Prior positions include serving as Interim and Acting Conference Minister in Florida and Missouri Mid-South Conferences, and as Conference Minister for Connecticut (14 years) and for Southern California (5 years). In between, she has served as Senior Consultant to the Collegium of Officers of the UCC nationally for three years, and as consultant to local churches. Before her call to Southern California in 1991, she served as a local church pastor in CT for 11 years. 

Davida has a keen interest in the application of the faith to daily life.  As a result she earned her Doctor of Ministry from Hartford Seminary with a focus on connecting Sunday and Monday in laity’s lives. That interest also has given her a lifelong passion for both contemporary social movements within Christianity and for the history of our life as the United Church of Christ and especially its Congregational heritage in which she grew up.  

Davida has recently moved into a retirement community in Connecticut which is known for its dedication to living green, and that parallels her commitment since childhood to care for the earth, a notion introduced to her by her science teacher mother.  She is stepmother to two Vermonters and grandmother to five.  She is looking forward to spending the early summer with the people of Neighborhood Church, but only wishes she could visit during the Christmas season, for which the church is renowned!

For over half a century, CROP Hunger Walks have helped raise funds and awareness to combat hunger around the world. From the first walk in Bismarck, ND in 1969 to the over 2,000 communities who participate in CROP Walks every year, more than five million people have participated in CROP Walks. (Source)

In 2017 alone, over 900 walks attracted 107,000 walkers who together with donations from their community raised over $9,000,000! Funds raised through CROP Walks funds are distributed by Church World Service around the world-- they provide food and water, seeds, tools and other crucial resources.

This year, Team Neighborhood Church participated in the Peninsula Harbor Crop Walk on Sunday, May 20 at the South Bay Botanic Garden. Together, our congregation surpassed our original $750 goal to raise nearly $2000! Sally and Phil Rogers generously agreed to match our $750 goal if we were able to reach it, and our members certainly rose to the challenge! We were one of the top teams in the South Bay and the top fundraising Church because of your generous contributions-- thank you! 

The Peninsula Harbor CROP Walk had over 20 new walkers and more than 200 walkers total. Mail in donations are still being counted, and several envelopes were turned in in person at the CROP Walk. Our team of ten walkers enjoyed the beautiful plants and flowers at the Botanic Garden. Volunteers from SHAWL House and several high school volunteers helped the day run smoothly. 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of this year's CROP Walk-- whether through financial donations, sharing information with family and friends, or attending the walk in person. Together, we can help end hunger one step at a time. 

A special thanks to Christian Action Ministry for organizing this great community service event for our church, especially John Readyhoff who led up fundraising efforts and walker recruiting! 

Karen Tucker had an idea. She wanted to connect new members of our Church community with those who could no longer make it to Church events, either due to illness or lack of transportation. These people had served the Church for years, and she wanted them to remain a part of our Family whether they could make it to Church or not. Lauren Hardin, our Marketing, Communications and Office Manager sat down with Karen to talk about our Good Neighbor Network and it's new component, the Prayer Network. 

LH: Karen, since I’ve been at the Church I’ve seen you lead Christian Action Ministry, run the Tea Room at the Yule Parlor Tea and now you’ve created a new Ministry, the Good Neighbor Network. Is there anything at the Neighborhood Church you haven’t done?  
KT: I have served on quite a few boards and committees. It’s been a wonderful way to get to know other members of our church and I’ve made friendships that have truly lasted over time.

LH: What led you to create the Good Neighbor Network? 
KT: Over the years I’ve seen members of our church family who can no longer get to services or participate in activities.  It’s sad to see once vibrant individuals become isolated or separated from our church due to health issues, aging, or lack of transportation for example. I wanted to start a program that would reach out to them and reconnect!

LH: How did you come up with the name “Good Neighbor Network?” Were there any other contenders?  
KT: Our church name was truly the inspiration and I think everyone understands what a network of individuals can accomplish.

LH: Creating a brand new Ministry couldn’t have been easy. What were some challenges you faced throughout the process?  
KT: It took time to research this type of program and how to initiate it. David Young had great ideas and Mary Ann Friedrich, co-chair of GNN, had participated in a similar program at another church.  They were both instrumental in helping me write the Training Guide and hold orientation sessions for our volunteers.

LH: Now that the GNN is up and running (we have 17 volunteers visiting 20 homebound members of our church family!), what have been some of the most rewarding moments you’ve experienced?  
KT: Listening and learning so much from the beautiful men and women who have served our church in the past. They have amazing stories to tell – where they’ve traveled, who their families are and how they’ve progressed on their journeys.  Sitting with Harry Peck and seeing all his WWII albums and uniforms.  Hearing Betty Larsen tell about her travels on a sail boat.  It’s been incredible!

LH: Tell me a little bit about how the Prayer Network came to be incorporated into the GNN. 
KT: It seemed like a natural progression.  Engaging our faithful church family in prayer for one another.  It follows the model of a good network – a variety of individuals, good communication and a connection to one another.

“God promises us in the Bible that he hears every word that we pray to him. Like a good parent, he is waiting, ready, and willing to listen”

— Karen on the value of prayer

LH: And what exactly is the Prayer Network?
KT: When someone is suffering, anxious, worried, going through a difficult time in their lives or thankful, joyful and they need to seek comfort, make a request, ask for guidance, heal and restore, express sorrow, celebrate joy or give thanks – they look to God through prayer.  They can submit a prayer request with as much or as little information as they wish, and it will be passed along to all the volunteers in our Prayer Network. Everyone will pray that the request will be answered. 

LH: In such a busy world with so much going on, what is the value of prayer? 
KT: I believe it is a vital part of our faith.  God promises us in the Bible that he hears every word that we pray to him. Like a good parent, he is waiting, ready, and willing to listen to our worries, concerns, and needs. Whether we are seeking forgiveness, strength, or healing, prayer provides the channel to communicate with God.  I believe praying daily as a group creates a spiritual bond between us that strengthens our convictions and love for one another.   I love the quote from Max Lucado, “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference."

LH: If someone has a prayer request, what’s the best way to submit it to the Prayer Network?  
KT: They can call, write or text the church office, one of the ministers or submit a prayer request online.  If possible, it would be great to hear from the requestor if there is some resolution to their request. 

Above: Angel Donor David Yang with Boy scout Christopher Miller, standing in the Shirley Yang Memorial Garden

In September 2017, the Building and Grounds Committee of the Board of Trustees launched the Angel Projects Program, a collection of projects to repair, replace or upgrade various areas on our Church grounds. One of the earliest projects to be adopted was the garden near the front of the Church. Over the past several years, poor soil quality and lack of appropriate irrigation in that plot had turned this 650 square foot garden into a barren patch of dirt. 

David Yang, longtime church member, generously agreed to sponsor the funding of this project in loving memory of his wife, Shirley, who passed away in 2015. Between the two of them, they have served as part of Women's Fellowship, Christian Action Ministry, and the Board of Trustees throughout their years here.

The first stage of the project began in Fall 2017 with the tilling, grading and sloping of the garden-- dirt needed to be sloped towards the driveway to allow excess water to runoff.  A protective barrier also needed to be installed against the Church walls to prevent water damage to the building. An outside contractor performed this work with the help of our Facilities Manager, Doug Falzetti. Once that work was complete, the plot was one step closer to becoming a garden.

Around this time, Christopher Miller, a Boy Scout and member of the Church, ,was in search of a project to earn a design and construction badge toward becoming an Eagle Scout. Christopher and his family have been attending the Neighborhood Church since 2008 and he was baptized and confirmed here. He is active in our Youth Group and also serves as the co-president of the South Bay YMCA Pathfinders Parent Youth Group. Before one of his Youth Group Meetings, Christopher walked around the Church grounds, looking for areas in need of improvement or something that could potentially become an Eagle Scout Project. He noticed the empty dirt plot and realized that, as fate would have it, his project had found him. 

Christopher Miller and his friend constructing the base of the pedestal for the statue.

After coordinating with Doug and our Angels Projects Committee, Christopher agreed to take on responsibility for designing and constructing a significant portion of the garden. He, with other Scouts, would install a stonework pathway and construct a pedestal that would be the central feature of the garden. His father, Loy Miller, donated the building materials for these items.

So, the dirt had been tilled, the land had been sloped, the irrigation had been installed and the brick had been laid... but what about the plants? 

Laurie Jester, longtime Church Member and landscaper extraordinaire, agreed to create a layout for the garden using a mix of water-wise plants and climbing vines to grow up the trellis that would fit in with the Church's current landscaping while creating a unique visual experience. 

Laurie Jester's initial map of the garden. Laurie made sure to include drought tolerant, water wise shrubs in the layout as well as incorporating Palos Verdes Stone for the walkway. The majority of these plants were donated and installed by GS Brothers, with additional landscaping provided for by David Yang's Angel Project Sponsorship and Christopher Miller's Eagle Project. 

Doug Falzetti and Laurie Jester helping out with the planting of plants and flowers in the garden. 

While Laurie set to work designing the garden, Doug performed some final work on the irrigation system. One March Friday, he was out in the garden working on the sprinkler system when a valve burst and sent water spilling out into the driveway. We placed an emergency call to our landscapers, GS Brothers, who stopped by immediately to assess the problem. They noticed the work Doug was doing on the garden and asked him what the plans were for the area. When Doug told them, they offered to donate the plants and labor to finish the garden!

A week later, on March 16, GS Brothers returned with a truck full of plants and flowers. Together with some plants donated by Chrstopher and those purchased with David Yang's Angel Project donation, the garden was planted.  That weekend, Christopher and the Scouts returned to finish up the planting and install the lattice and trellis for the climbing jasmine. Through a number of small coincidences and the hard work of many, the Shirley Yang Memorial Garden was fully planted and ready for Easter Sunday.

A special thank you to everyone who worked so hard on this project!

If you would like to learn more about Angel Projects, are interested in sponsoring one, or have one in mind, please contact the Office.